Magnis Energy Technologies Ltd (ASX:MNS, OTCQX:MNSEF) subsidiary Imperium3 New York (iM3NY) continues to make strong progress at a gigawatt-scale lithium-ion battery plant being established in Endicott, New York.
iM3NY, in which MNS is a major shareholder, operates the east coast battery hub and is working to bring it online.
As of the end of March, the project was 67% complete and fully automated production remains on track for late June.
Once iM3NY hits that milestone, the project should be 80% complete, with the remaining work to include some cosmetic factory changes, minor adjustments to an internal office area and a production ramp-up.
March update
Last month, the iM3NY team completed one of the gigafactory’s key components: the dry room.
The dry room forms an essential part of the lithium-ion cell manufacturing process, where most of the cell assembly is performed in an ultra-dry and ultra-clean inert environment.
This ultra-dry atmosphere ensures the longevity of lithium-ion cells with minimal side reactions and degradation.
On the recruitment side, three new hires came on board in March.
An operations manager and two battery engineers joined the team and will lend their experience to iM3NY at the New York battery hub.
Mechanical, civil and electrical works formed the brunt of focus over March, so iM3NY collaborated with EPC contractor Ramboll to advance these key activities.
No safety incidents were recorded last month.
Accelerating towards full automation
iM3NY CEO Chaitanya Sharma said of the developments: “We have made significant progress on our gigafactory and we look forward to starting full-automation in the next few months.
“Our team is working tirelessly to meet the necessary timeframe despite global supply chain delays.
“We are excited about the feedback we are receiving from potential customers and investors and we look forward to updating all stakeholders as progress is made.”
Magnis chair Frank Poullas said in a market announcement today: “With fully automated production soon approaching, it is exciting for everyone involved and we look forward to increasing production capacity.”